After seeing many many posts on other boards about the problems with brake bleeding and how difficult it really is with trials bikes, with their small volume fluid systems. I finally came to the realisation that it really isn't that hard.
My rear brakes had an air leak, and were a B!TCH to properly bleed. After playing around with the adjuster rod, and setting it up so that there was absolutely no free play on the lever - I got the whole system bled in about 15 minutes. This is a world record!!! I have never ever got ALL of the air out of my Beta's rear brake system with less than a huge 2 hour struggle, and tools being flung in anger about the workshop and lots of swearing. Re-adjust the rod again to allow a bit of freeplay, and perfect rear brakes!!!
What a completely stupid bloody idiot!!! Why didn't I think that I should re-adjust the lever freeplay before starting the job?? I had just replaced the rear brake pads, and pushed the pistons on the caliper back into the caliper to help make the new pads fit. Why didn't I think that maybe after adjusting the brakes to take up the lost material in the pads for the past six months that I should readjust things back to how they should be.....DOH!
Why didn't anybody tell me about this before????
I also tried this with the front brakes, and guess what?? After paying a bit more attention as to where the piston in the master cylinder should be adjusted - again the whole process was made much easier than normal. Again 15 minutes or less to completely remove any air bubbles from the system.
What is the moral of the story so far - don't let me near your bike with a spanner!!!! Not unless you want to crash at least as badly as me!!
My rear brakes had an air leak, and were a B!TCH to properly bleed. After playing around with the adjuster rod, and setting it up so that there was absolutely no free play on the lever - I got the whole system bled in about 15 minutes. This is a world record!!! I have never ever got ALL of the air out of my Beta's rear brake system with less than a huge 2 hour struggle, and tools being flung in anger about the workshop and lots of swearing. Re-adjust the rod again to allow a bit of freeplay, and perfect rear brakes!!!
What a completely stupid bloody idiot!!! Why didn't I think that I should re-adjust the lever freeplay before starting the job?? I had just replaced the rear brake pads, and pushed the pistons on the caliper back into the caliper to help make the new pads fit. Why didn't I think that maybe after adjusting the brakes to take up the lost material in the pads for the past six months that I should readjust things back to how they should be.....DOH!
Why didn't anybody tell me about this before????
I also tried this with the front brakes, and guess what?? After paying a bit more attention as to where the piston in the master cylinder should be adjusted - again the whole process was made much easier than normal. Again 15 minutes or less to completely remove any air bubbles from the system.
What is the moral of the story so far - don't let me near your bike with a spanner!!!! Not unless you want to crash at least as badly as me!!